I don't feel for him at all. It's the exact role he thought/thinks he can play. But yes he is miscast. It doesn't help that Ruff has 3 or 4 forwards that he really doesn't trust to play. It puts a lot of pressure and icetime on the other 8 or 9 guys. He isn't ready to be a core player and, really, unless his defense really improves he never will be one on a good team. The Sabres have Grig staying up for the year and Girg in the minors learning his craft. Both are 6'3" and can skate. It's going to be hard for Hodgson to hold onto a top 2 spot over the next couple of years in that organization unless he does improve the defense and perhaps his skating by a significant amount. He'd be equally miscast in a bottom 6 role or on the wing.

The kid has great vision. Great offensive talent to be sure. But it's the defensive aspects of the game that he'll need to address to not have the Sabres looking past him to Grig and Girg in the next year or two.

tantalum wrote:I don't feel for him at all. It's the exact role he thought/thinks he can play. But yes he is miscast. It doesn't help that Ruff has 3 or 4 forwards that he really doesn't trust to play. It puts a lot of pressure and icetime on the other 8 or 9 guys. He isn't ready to be a core player and, really, unless his defense really improves he never will be one on a good team. The Sabres have Grig staying up for the year and Girg in the minors learning his craft. Both are 6'3" and can skate. It's going to be hard for Hodgson to hold onto a top 2 spot over the next couple of years in that organization unless he does improve the defense and perhaps his skating by a significant amount. He'd be equally miscast in a bottom 6 role or on the wing.

The kid has great vision. Great offensive talent to be sure. But it's the defensive aspects of the game that he'll need to address to not have the Sabres looking past him to Grig and Girg in the next year or two.

that and he is a headcase who thinks more of himself than he should...plus his Dad..

If Kassian turns out to be the real deal as Top 6 Lucic type power forward, then I don't care what Coho does; the Canucks will have got the player they needed. The jury will be out on both players for awhile, but if what we're seeing is what we're going to see for the next 5-8 years....I like it!

Boston Canucker wrote:If Kassian turns out to be the real deal as Top 6 Lucic type power forward, then I don't care what Coho does; the Canucks will have got the player they needed. The jury will be out on both players for awhile, but if what we're seeing is what we're going to see for the next 5-8 years....I like it!

Exactly.

It's already looking like we made out like bandits on that deal, and who knows what Kassian's upside is now. I don't really care what Cody Hodgson does.